Enemy of the Music Business

Oh man, here we go: the oldschool logo and collage-style artwork returns along with an updated version of the sound from albums like 'Harmony Corruption'. This is the start of Napalm Death fourth and current musical phase: their breed of modernized but still brutal death/grind without the experimental waffling or hardcore leanings of the last phase. That had its moments, but most fans (and probably the band themselves) wanted a return to a more traditional Napalm Death sound defined by blasts and screaming rather than funk drumming and spoken word interludes.

Musically this is very similar to albums like 'The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code'. Roots in albums like 'Utopia Banished' are clear, but this is most certainly a slicker, modernized version of that sound firmly located in the realms of modern death/grind. While the punk edge of material has not been entirely lost, it's been synthesized into the greater death/grind whole and generally appears in more obvious forms as a burst of thrashy riffing here and there or some scattered d-beats. The core of the riffing is entrenched in modern death and grind ala Nasum, though certainly with the rhythmic edge that Napalm Death has so powerfully cultivated throughout their career.

While 'Enemy Of The Music Business' isn't really anyone's favorite Napalm Death album, it's amazingly consistent, particularly coming off the heels of the last era, and has more than a few tracks which are second-tier Napalm Death classics. 'Vermin', 'Thanks For Nothing', 'Cure For The Common Complaint', and 'Necessary Evil' (the last of which is the first Napalm Death song I ever heard) are all powerful slabs of death/grind, and the others are really no weaker. The remarkably powerful production and guitar tone contribute to the overall crushing quality of the record; it's definitely a step up from the slightly flat and dry sound of previous releases and is probably the best the band had up to this point in their career.

Moreover, this is just such an excruciatingly angry album; the overall theme of corporate hatred comes through very clearly. Greenway sounds about ready to murder someone on tracks like 'Thanks For Nothing', and the other musicians are right behind him in aggression. This is a good summation of the album: while it's not saying anything new, it's saying those typical things in a remarkably intense and effective manner. Recommended for death/grind fans and Napalm Death devotees in particular.

I've been a non-stop Napalm Death fan since the early 90's, defending and enjoying even their most mediocre work. And while they've never really released a flat-out bad album, there certainly were several middle of the road ones towards the end of the last decade. By 1999, I'd pretty much lost hope. ND seemed a band who could still write great songs but couldn't really string a whole album together. That coupled with their acrimonious split from Earache and Barney's tenative status in the band led me to believe they were finished as a unit.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

When "Enemy Of The Music Business" was initially released, I was skeptical but being the loyal die-hard I am, I quickly plunked out for the CD and set it in the player with minimal expectations. "Taste The Poison" proceeded to rip my face off. As did each successive track after it. Note for note, song for song, there wasn't a single piece of filler. Every song was concise, well-written and strongly executed. The production was razor-sharp and well-balanced with the guitars way up in the mix.

When it was over, I was exhausted and excited. Here was the Napalm Death I'd always known and loved and hoped to have back again. A band ferociously, righteously angry with a huge chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Nothing could be more creatively exciting, especially for a band that's been around for awhile, a band who felt their credibility falter and slip on the precipice of irrelevance.

EOTMB brought Napalm Death all the way back. It was harder, faster, louder, and angrier than anything I'd ever heard before. Here Barney unleashes his greatest fury: grunting, screaming, and yelling like a scalded, rabid, speared baboon whose gonna pull that spear through his own belly just to take another swing at you. Mitch Harris's shrieks also hit new peaks of intensity, adding another insane element to the sound. Hell, "Taste The Poison" sounds like pure, unfettered chaos, straining the constraint of a song to its very limit, pushing the sound to near white noise. "Next On The List" is brutal death metal. A song that easily could've appeared on either "Harmony Corruption" or "Utopia Banished." Danny Herrara really pushes his abilities here. This is the most concise pedal work I've heard from him. From there on it is all pure grind madness: "C.S., pt 2," "Vermin," "Constitutional Hell," "Cure For The Common Complaint" -- these songs are an almost perfect blend of F.E.T.O. era grind and modern ND death metal. They demonstrate a reinvigorated band picking up the gauntlet thrown down by bands like Nasum, Rotten Sound, and Pig Destroyer, all of whom had been nipping at ND's heels for awhile. EOTMB set Napalm Death back on their grind throne.

Napalm death have always been pretty much a constant threat to music in general, never really conforming, always pissed off. you know what your going to get with a napalm death release, which makes this album even better.

Opening with Taste the poison, ND dont let up for the first half of the album, ripping through tracks like men possessed, the Angry-hatefuelled lyrics always bubbling under the surface. In my opinion the best track on here is "cant play, wont pay" simply because of the raw, viscereal energy they put forward, with barneys screams of revenge on the music industry being particularly effective.

There really isnt a weak point of this album. the riffs are as crushing as ever, yet in songs like blunt against the cutting edge, they have inserted a certain level of catchiness into the mix, giving it a really head banging surge. As always Danny Herrera's drumming proves him to be one of the best in the genre, if not one of the best in the world, with his single pedal blastbeats being jaw dropping and the sheer speed in which he does his fills. Shane Embury even gets a look in with his bass riffs being different from most identikit grind bands out there by the fact that he doesnt just stick to what the guitarists are doing, he has his own style and it really shows on this release.

I cant fault this album at all, if you dont own it, i seriously recommend you go and get it, i refused to compare this album to any other ND albums, simply because it wouldnt be fair on the other cd's, this Album Slays. simple

grindcore has been going down these days, bands like Pig Destroyer, Circle of Dead Chilren and Origin have been giving grind a new name. Napalm Death have continued time after time to take back the music that they rightfully created. Enemy of the Music Business is not only a slap in the face to all grind bands, but a big ol' slap in the face to the music business. Napalm Death's origonal sound teams up with aggressive animosity towards those who have screwed them over in their 20 year existence. This album presents the idea that no matter how much you screw a band over that you cannot kill them, they will continue to fuck you as you try to fuck them (if that makes any sense). Songs like 'Next on the List' and 'the public gets what the public doesn't want' are perfect examples of bands like Napalm Death who are fed up with pop culture and how the media feeds the general public (MTV is the biggest example). If you dont like us, then eat shit. Like every other ND album, this one send the message of rebellion towards an infection that is the high masses of corporations and government. Musically this album serves up the best ND has to offer with their latest line up. They combine old school grind with their newer signature grind that will never be mimicked. The combination of old punk-metal and classic grind, Napalm Death makes a sound that cannot be ingnored.

Napalm Death... the underappreciated godfathers of grind, seize their throne with Enemy of the Music Business. THIS is how its fucking done kids... 14 massive, violent, reckless tracks of insane blastbeats and riffs. Napalm manage to capture a bit of FETO's intensity and splice it with modern production.

I am not familiar with ND's 90s material, widely reknowned as tripe, so I won't go there (to be fair, the 90s Napalm I have heard is good). "Taste the Poison', "Blunt Against the Cutting Edge". Songs like these are memorable, propulsive, and feral. It sounds like Napalm have a reason to be discontent with the establishment again. "Can't Pay Won't Play" is my favorite... just fucking excellent, riff after riff, all the blasts and venom that makes old school ND so killer.

Alright before this review degenerates into a necropolis catalogue adjective fest I'll end it... Enemy is an excellent release and a good introduction to Napalm Death. I think it's their best album and a lot of fans agree.

Ahhhh, a new Napalm Death release is always a good thing. Not always an original and unique release, but the fans keep buying the cds and the band still keeps pumping out the brutality after 20 years. This cd is a return to older style ND while still staying modern. Oh yea, the old logo is back!

The basic idea of this cd is the bands dislike for the music industry, as the band had problems with before this was released. The songs are fast and come right for your throat. If you have heard ND before, you know what to expect music wise. Barneys shouting/yelling style vocals, the fast drums and the always awesome riffs. Jesse & Mitch pump out some killer riffs that literally make some of the songs awesome.

The cd opens with Take the Poison, which is short and sweet. Track 3, Constitutional Hell, is one of my faves on the cd and has some of the best riffs on the cd. Another great track is can't play, won't play.

Basically, if you like a few songs on this cd, you will like the whole thing. If you can't get into Napalm Death, then this cd probably won't change your opinion. Its a good cd and its great to see the band still putting out great cds, but after getting to track 9 or so, it starts to get a little old, but that doesn't take away from very much in the end.